Singapore dengue outbreak tops 12,000 cases

With the number of dengue fever cases at 12,308, as of July 7, Singapore is experiencing its largest epidemic of the mosquito borne viral disease in eight years.

To date, there has been three deaths due to locally acquired dengue and a fourth in a foreign national, according to a Singapore Ministry of Health news release in late June.

Aedes aegyptiImage/CDC

The foreign national fatality is a 68-year-old Indonesian male who had most likely contracted dengue while travelling in Indonesia from 10 – 21 June 2013.

He developed a fever on 20 June and went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) emergency department (ED) on 23 June 2013 after having a three-day history of fever, as well as vomiting and diarrhea for two days.

He was diagnosed to have dengue with acute renal failure with severe liver inflammation and was admitted for treatment and close monitoring. His condition started deteriorating in the Intensive Care unit on 24 June 2013 despite blood transfusions and other supportive treatment. He passed away on 25 June 2013.

The Singapore MOH says Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world.

It is caused by a virus which is transmitted by an infected Aedes mosquito – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite.

The disease usually is self-limiting but in some people can present with life-threatening complications such as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome.

There is no vaccine to protect against dengue. Developing a vaccine against dengue/severe dengue has been challenging although there has been recent progress in vaccine development.

At present, the only method to control or prevent the transmission of dengue virus is to combat vector mosquitoes.

About the Author

Robert Herriman - Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources.
He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify
Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian
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